1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to equipment racks. Still more particularly, the disclosure relates to a translating equipment rack system for an aircraft electronic equipment bay.
2. Background
Electronic equipment (EE) bay may be an area within the volume of an aircraft for installing avionic equipment, electrical equipment, power distribution equipment, and other electronics. The electronic equipment bay may also be referred to as an avionics bay or electrical equipment bay.
The electronic equipment bay may be located, without limitation, below the flight deck, behind the flight deck, and/or adjacent to a passenger or cargo area of an aircraft. Equipment stored in an electronic equipment bay may be accessible through a passenger area, cargo area, a hatch in the flight deck area, and/or an external hatch on an aircraft.
Equipment in the electronic equipment bay may be placed in equipment racks within the electronic equipment bay. One or more aisles may be provided between the equipment racks in the electronic equipment bay to permit maintenance personnel and other technicians to move throughout the electronic equipment bay and between the equipment racks.
For example, equipment racks in the electronic equipment bay may be placed with the front of the racks facing a central aisle that extends between the equipment racks to allow maintenance personnel access to the equipment in the racks. In-flight personnel may utilize one or more hatches in the flight deck or cabin areas to gain access to the equipment in the electronic equipment bay during a flight.
In addition, one or more outboard aisles may connect a central aisle to an external hatch to permit ground crew personnel to enter the electronic equipment bay through the external hatch. The ground crew personnel may utilize the external hatch to enter the electronic equipment bay and proceed down the aisle(s) to access the equipment rack(s) of interest for installation, removal, and/or maintenance.
Thus, the equipment racks in the electronic equipment bay may require space in the electronic equipment bay for aisles to permit human personnel access to the equipment racks, space for installing and/or removing equipment racks within the electronic equipment bay without disturbing other equipment in the electronic equipment bay, as well as the space that may actually be taken up by the equipment racks themselves.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account one or more of the issues discussed above, as well as other issues.